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JAMES  HOBBS  HANSON,  LL.  D. 


A    MEMORIAL. 


^i^-'^-'^<^(^ 


JAMES  HOBBS  HANSON,  LL.D. 


THE  TRUSTEES  OF  COLBY  UNIVERSITY 


IN    MEMORY   OF 


AN  HONORED  AND  BELOVED  ASSOCIATE 


PORTLAND,    ME. 

BROWN   THURSTON   COMPANY 
1894 


THE  INTERPRETER. 


BY   ELLEN    HAMLIN    BUTLER. 


Through  the  enchanted  veil  of  loving  tears 
I  see  again  the  old  room,  dusk  and  low  — 
That  dear,  dim  room,  which  time  has  ceased  to  know  — 
Filled  with  thy  presence,  crowned  with  silver  years ; 
O  fond  revealer,  latest  of  our  seers, 

Wilt  thou  no  more  bid  Virgil  come  and  go, 
Or  conjure  up  immortal  Cicero  ; 
Or  lead  us  forth  'mid  Caesar's  wheeling  spears  ? 
But  yesterday,  I  hushed  my  heart  to  see 

Great  Brutus  —  learned  to  hope  with  Juliet  — 
Breathed  the  wild  witch-fog  closing  o'er  Macbeth. 
O  master  mine,  interpret,  now  for  me, 

The  mystic  speech  whereto  thy  voice  is  set, 
And  I  will  construe  life — ay,  from  thy  death  ! 

—  Portland  Transcript. 


JAMES   HOBBS   HANSON. 


BORN  JUNE   26,    1816.    DIED   APRIL   21,    1894. 


BY  W.  H.  SPENCER,  D.  D. 


[From  a  Memorial  Discourse.] 

James  Hobbs  Hanson  was  born  in  China,  Maine,  in  the 
early  summer  of  the  year  18 16,  which  was  known  in  this 
latitude  as  the  year  without  a  summer  —  a  summer  in  which 
frost  and  ice  were  common  in  every  month.  It  might  seem 
that  the  rigor  of  such  a  season  imparted  an  unwonted  tough- 
ness to  the  fiber  of  this  particular  babe.  But  rather,  it  was 
the  out-of-door  life  and  wholesome  exercise  of  a  farmer's  boy 
that  knit  the  frame  which  was  to  support  and  nourish  the 
brain,  that  might  work  without  pain,  almost  without  rest,  for 
nearly  threescore  years. 

It  was  before  he  left  the  farm  that  he  experienced  that 
greatest  of  all  changes  in  the  career  of  a  human  soul,  that 
allies  it  with  unseen  and  eternal  forces  and  gives  it  a  new 
upward  impulse  toward  God  and  holiness.  He  was  con- 
verted under  the  ministry  of  Daniel  Bartlett,  then  pastor  of 
the  Baptist  church  in  China,  and  was  baptized  by  him  in 
China  pond,  March  26,  1835,  the  ice  being  cut  for  the  pur- 
pose. We  recognize  something  of  the  resolute  spirit  of  the 
man,  in  the  fact  that  he  went  forward  and  received  the  ordi- 
nance without  the  knowledge  of  the  other  members  of  the 
family,  and  walked  home  in  his  dripping  garments  a  mile 
from  the  scene  of  his  baptism. 

The  death  of  his  father  when  he  was  about  seventeen  years 
of  age  brought  a  heavy  burden  of  responsibility  upon  his 
mother,  but  she  was  worthy  of  the  honor  of  training  such  a 


6  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.  D. 

son.  An  incident  of  his  boyhood  is  well  worth  telling  here. 
Some  of  you  may  not  believe  it,  but  it  is  true  that  Dr.  Han- 
son, when  he  was  a  youth,  wanted  a  pair  of  skates  very  much 
and  cherished  a  strong  determination  to  have  them.  But  his 
mother,  fearing  some  fatal  accident,  was  unwilling  that  he 
should  try  the  treacherous  ice,  and  in  dissuading  him  from 
his  purpose  wisely  tried  "  the  expulsive  power  of  a  new  and 
higher  affection."  In  place  of  the  coveted  skates  she  prom- 
ised him  the  money  necessary  to  pay  for  his  membership  in 
the  country  singing  school  which  was  to  be  held  during  that 
winter,  and  although  young  James  had  never  been  suspected 
of  possessing  the  slightest  aptitude  for  music,  nor  had  ever 
been  known  even  to  whistle  a  tune,  this  alternative  took  his 
fancy.  He  took  up  vocal  music,  as  he  afterwards  took  up 
Latin  and  Greek,  to  master  the  art,  and  the  result  was  that 
he  became  an  acknowledged  leader  in  vocal  music,  both  as  a 
singing  school  teacher  and  chorister  in  this  church  for  several 
years. 

Dr.  Hanson's  career  as  a  teacher  began  in  1835,  i^i  ^is 
twentieth  year,  in  a  little  town  in  Penobscot  county.  After 
that  he  taught  two  terms  on  the  island  of  Vinalhaven  in  a 
country  school.  His  next  venture  was  in  a  village  school  in 
Searsmont,  where  he  summoned  courage  to  try  the  part  of  a 
singing  master,  succeding  so  well  that  he  was  induced  to  open 
a  second  school  in  another  part  of  the  town.  This  work 
brought  him  a  better  compensation  than  that  of  the  day 
schools,  and  during  the  next  winter  he  carried  on  three  sing- 
ing schools. 

Thus  he  paid  his  way  through  the  academy  in  China, 
which  was  then  a  school  of  considerable  reputation,  and  also 
through  Waterville  College,  where  he  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1842. 

Then  came  one  of  the  turns  in  his  life  which  we  can  only 
account  for  through  the  work  of  an  overruling  Providence. 
After  his  graduation  he  taught  three  terms   in  the   town  of 


A    MEMORIAL.  7 

Hampden,  tried  to  secure  the  position  of  principal  of  the 
Hampden  Academy  and  failed,  and  was  obliged  to  return  to 
his  old  home  on  the  farm  in  China.  How  different  might 
have  been  his  career  if  he  had  succeeded  in  his  first  attempt 
to  fix  his  lifework  in  Hampden  ! 

At  this  time  the  Waterville  Academy,  which  had  been 
running  down  for  several  years,  needed  a  strong  and  steady 
hand  at  the  helm,  and  Mr.  Hanson  was  induced  to  come  over 
here  and  take  the  school  in  hand,  little  thinking  that  here  he 
was  to  find  the  real  work  of  his  life.  The  school  opened 
with  five  pupils  and  gave  but  little  hope  of  much  enlargement 
during  the  first  year,  but  after  that  came  more  pupils  and 
better  support  and  the  success  of  the  Academy  became  an 
assured  thing.  Mr.  Hanson  was  now  fairly  embarked  on  his 
destined  career. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  trace  his  course  as  a  teacher,  but 
rather  to  draw  lessons  from  his  life  and  character  as  a  Chris- 
tian. It  is  enough  to  say  here  concerning  the  nearly  fifty- 
one  years  that  have  passed  since  he  became  the  head  of  what 
was  long  known  as  Dr.  Hanson's  school,  that  he  spent  the  first 
eleven  years  in  this  place,  the  number  of  pupils  increasing  at 
one  time  to  three  hundred  and  eight.  Then,  worn  with  his 
arduous  service,  with  no  backing  by  the  trustees  of  the  Acad- 
emy, he  listened  to  the  overtures  of  the  Eastport  High  School 
in  1854,  where  he  remained  three  years.  From  there  he 
removed  to  Portland  and  became  the  principal  of  the  Boys' 
High  School,  which  he  brought  up  from  a  state  of  lax  disci- 
pline to  excellent  efficiency.  After  eight  years  spent  in 
Portland,  the  last  two  in  charge  of  a  private  school,  he 
returned  to  Waterville  in  1865,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of 
President  Champlin,  to  resume  the  care  of  the  Academy, 
which  he  kept  on  his  heart  and  mind  up  to  the  evening  of 
the  i6th  inst.,  less  than  five  days  before  he  yielded  up  his  heroic 
spirit.  This  work  of  building  up  the  Institute  was  the  great 
work  of  his  life,  and  when  he  was  compelled  to  lay  it  down 


8  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.  D, 

it  was  a  sign  that  the  end  of  life  was  near  at  hand.  It  was 
noticed  that  after  he  had  finally  turned  over  his  classes  to 
the  substitute  teachers,  he  showed  no  more  care  for  the 
school.  His  long  work  was  done,  and  he  knew  it.  He  had 
used  the  last  remnant  of  strength  in  the  service  of  his  pupils. 
He  had  gone  over  to  the  school  building  on  the  first  day 
of  the  new  term  with  the  hope  of  carrying  the  school 
through  the  last  term  of  the  year,  but  his  voice,  once  so 
strong,  was  faint  and  inarticulate,  his  throat  was  dry  and  sore, 
his  physical  endurance  had  found  its  limit.  His  will  was  still 
good,  but  the  body  which  had  served  it  so  long  without  ques- 
tion was  exhausted.  It  seemed  hard  for  him  to  understand 
that  he  could  not  goad  himself  to  further  exertions. 

There  was  one  word  that  filled  up  the  conception  of  life 
for  Dr.  Hanson,  and  that  word  was  duty.  Not  that  he  dis- 
liked pleasure,  or  that  he  was  devoid  of  the  play  of  sentiment, 
or  that  he  hated  leisure.  Those  who  have  not  known  him 
have  misjudged  him  in  these  respects.  But  there  was  always 
much  work  to  do,  such  grave  interests  pending,  that  the 
claims  of  leisure,  the  charms  of  sentiment  had  to  wait.  He 
was  not  an  enemy  to  holidays  per  se,  but  holidays  sometimes 
came  around  too  often  for  the  amount  of  work  that  had  to 
be  done.  It  was  duty  before  pleasure  with  him,  and  the 
habit  of  a  lifetime  brought  him  his  pleasure  in  duty. 

He  had  also  a  passion  for  thoroughness  and  exactness  in 
the  performance  of  duty  that  was  almost  fierce  at  times,  and 
anything  like  carelessness  or  neglect  would  kindle  the  fire  in 
his  eye  and  awaken  the  slumbering  thunders  of  his  voice ; 
but  I  noted  with  surprise  more  than  once  the  kindly  judg- 
ment given  and  the  tender  interest  felt  in  certain  ones  who 
had  been  almost  crushed  by  his  rebukes.  After  all,  though 
he  was  exacting  and  sometimes  seemed  overbearing  in  his 
requirements,  he  was  really  considerate  and  fair  in  his  judg- 
ments and  treatment  of  everyone,  and  everyone  came  at  last 
to  know  it. 


A    MEMORIAL.  9 

"  I  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is 
day :  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work."  It  seemed 
as  if  our  dear  friend  and  brother  were  goaded  on  by  some 
thought  like  this.  To  fill  up  every  day  and  every  hour  with 
the  one  work  of  his  life,  to  carry  on  the  Institute  with 
the  very  last  breath  of  vitality  that  he  could  command  was 
what  he  seemed  to  live  for.  We  dreaded  for  him  a  pro- 
tracted season  of  helpless  idleness.  For  him  to  live  was  to 
work.  The  day  of  his  life  was  given  for  work,  and  when 
the  time  came  that  he  could  work  no  more,  then  night  speed- 
ily came.  He  retreated  to  an  inner  room,  closed  the  shut- 
ters, put  out  the  fire  and  laid  him  down  upon  his  couch  to 
rest.  There  was  nothing  more  to  live  for,  and  he  fell  asleep 
to  awake  in  righteousness  and  to  serve  his  God  in  a  service 
which  shall  be  rest  forevermore. 


FUNERAL   ADDRESSES. 


I 


ADDRESS 

BY 

REV.  A.  L.  LANE. 

It  is  appropriate  that  the  Institute  should  have  voice  in 
these  exercises,  since  it  was  to  the  Institute  that  Dr.  Hanson 
gave  the  full  measure  of  devotion  and  sacrifice.  I  am  to 
speak  for  the  school  and  partly  to  the  school.  Dr.  Hanson 
needs  no  words  of  eulogy  from  any  lips.  The  simple  story  of 
his  life  is  its  best  eulogy.  For  many  years  during  its  earlier 
history  the  school  rested  upon  the  shoulders  of  Dr.  Hanson, 
more  fully  than  upon  any  other  human  support.  At  one  of 
our  state  conventions,  when  the  question  of  an  endowment 
was  raised,  Dr.  Ricker,  after  saying  that  the  school  was  with- 
out endowment,  said  :  "  Did  I  say  that  the  Institute  has  no 
endowment  ?  I  am  wrong.  Dr.  Hanson  is  its  endowment. 
But  Dr.  Hanson  will  not  live  forever,  and  we  must  take  care 
that  he  be  not  crushed  by  too  heavy  a  burden."  Later,  when 
the  Institute  was  partially  endowed  and  equipped  with  a  new 
building,  it  was  still  the  strength  of  his  heart  and  of  his 
mind,  it  was  still  the  force  of  his  indomitable  will  and  the 
persistency  of  his  labor,  that  contributed  most  largely  to  the 
life  and  energy  of  the  school.  Of  the  many  qualities  which 
gave  him  his  power  and  influence,  that  which  lies  upon  the 
surface,  most  marked  perhaps  of  any,  was  his  immense 
capacity  for  work.  He  had  a  genius  for  work.  In  season 
and  out  of  season,  in  school  hours  and  out  of  school  hours, 
he  was  always  ready  to  give  to  any  student  the  full  measure 
of  his  helpfulness.  In  the  earlier  history  of  the  school,  his 
hours  of  recitation  were  far  beyond  those  usually  given  to 
such  work ;  and  even  later,  the  time  spent  in  assisting  stu- 
dents to  catch  up  with  regular  classes,  or  to  make  up  work 


14  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.  D. 

which  they  had  lost  by  absence,  was  an  amount  of  which 
few  persons  would  have  any  conception. 

At  the  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  school, 
ex-Governor  Dingley  gave  an  illustration  in  his  own  experi- 
ence of  this  readiness  to  do  extra  work.  By  mistake,  he 
came  to  Waterville  one  week  before  the  commencement  of 
the  term.  Upon  calling  upon  Dr.  Hanson,  he  was  told  that 
that  need  make  no  difference  ;  he  might  commence  his  work 
at  once ;  and  he  did  so. 

In  addition  to  his  own  power  of  work,  he  had  the  faculty 
of  arousing  a  like  spirit  in  his  students.  They  caught  from 
him  something  of  his  earnestness.  Probably  no  man  ever 
got  so  much  work  out  of  a  body  of  students  in  the  same 
time,  as  Dr.  Hanson ;  and  if  the  amount  of  education  received 
is  to  be  measured  by  the  amount  of  activity  on  the  part  of 
the  student,  as  it  is,  then  he  was  pre-eminently  a  successful 
teacher.  As  one  of  the  students  who  had  taken  a  part  of 
his  course  elsewhere  said :  "  We  have  learned  that  a  year 
in  any  other  school  is  a  very  poor  substitute  for  a  year  in  the 
Institute." 

Dr.  Hanson  by  the  force  of  his  example  taught  habits  of 
painstaking  study.  To  the  very  last  he  was  himself  a  con- 
stant student,  and  by  this  means  inspired  those  whom  he 
instructed  with  something  of  the  same  zeal.  The  picture 
which  comes  most  clearly  to  my  mind  as  I  think  of  him  is  of 
his  taking  his  coat  and  crutch  and  books,  and  with  bowed  form 
and  feeble  steps  leaving  his  room  at  the  close  of  the  school. 
He  was  not  willing,  he  said,  that  any  question  should  come 
up  in  the  class-room  which  he  was  not  ready  to  meet,  and 
out  of  constant  study  of  the  subjects  taught,  he  was  able  to 
teach  as  from  a  perennial  spring. 

But  it  was  in  his  moral  and  Christian  influence  upon  the 
school  that  a  part  of  his  work  lay  of  which  he  was  specially 
solicitous.  It  was  his  constant  desire  that  his  students 
should  not  only  be  all  that  was  thorough  and  solid  in  educa- 


A    MEMORIAL. 


15 


tion,  but  all  that  was  true  and  noble  in  character.  And  to 
secure  this,  he  spared  no  effort  of  thought  or  word.  For 
many  years,  he  led  one  of  the  two  weekly  prayer-meetings, 
and  for  these  services  he  made  most  careful  preparation, 
sometimes  with  written  notes,  always  with  most  careful 
analysis  of  what  he  wished  to  say.  The  influence  of  these 
counsels  was  far-reaching  and  will  be  long  continued.  He 
was  very  happy  in  his  expositions  of  scripture  truth.  His 
regard  for  the  word  of  God  was  a  prominent  feature  in  his 
character,  and  in  every  way  possible  he  sought  to  lead  others 
to  honor  and  reverence  it.  His  prayers  with  and  for  the 
school  were  marked  by  great  variety  of  language  and  strength 
of  expression.  He  had  a  great  sense  of  the  holiness  of  God, 
and  of  the  purity  of  heart  and  life  which  he  requires.  While 
his  prayers  were  remarkably  free  from  set  phrases  and  repe- 
titions, this  feeling  found  expression  in  the  favorite  title 
which  he  used,  "  Holy  Father."  God  was  to  him  a  father 
and  a  friend,  but  one  who  required  holiness  of  heart  in  those 
who  would  worship  him  acceptably. 

The  public  schools  of  this  city  owe  to  Dr.  Hanson  a  debt 
that  is  continually  increasing.  For  many  years  the  High 
School  and  Institute  were  united  in  one,  and  since  they  have 
been  separated  every  high  school  principal  and  many  of  the 
other  teachers  have  been  graduates  of  the  Institute,  so  that 
the  influence  of  Dr.  Hanson's  scholarship  and  character  are 
widely  felt  in  the  schools  of  the  city. 

It  is  impossible  to  estimate  his  influence  either  in  amount 
or  in  duration.  Thousands  of  pupils  have  come  under  his 
touch  and  have  taken  more  or  less  of  shape  in  response  to 
his  influence.  And  now  that  the  direct  labor  is  ended  and 
the  voice  silent,  "  he,  being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  He  still 
lives  in  all  who  have  come  into  sympathy  with  his  spirit. 
He  will  live  in  all  who  shall  receive  like  inspiration  from 
those  who  have  been  his  pupils.  A  thousand  years  hence 
the  world  will  be  the  better  because  Dr.  Hanson  has  lived 
in  it. 


l6  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.  D. 

To  the  very  last  his  heart  was  with  the  school.  It  was  his 
wish  that  the  close  of  his  work  in  the  school  and  of  his  life 
might  come  near  together,  and  it  was  fitting  that  with  less 
than  a  week's  absence  from  school  work  his  life  should  close. 
"The  good  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep." 

We  shall  all,  pupils  and  friends,  best  honor  the  memory  of 
Dr.  Hanson  by  embodying  in  our  lives  the  same  principles 
of  fidelity  and  earnestness  which  in  his  life  found  such  full 
expression.  As  he  clung  with  special  tenderness  of  affection 
to  the  members  of  the  present  Senior  classes,  it  is  for  them 
to  show  themselves  still  worthy  of  this  high  regard. 


ADDRESS 

BY 

PRESIDENT  B.  L.  WHITMAN. 

Blessed  is  the  man  whose  eulogy  is  the  truth.  Those 
who  knew  our  dead  teacher  best  know  that  the  simple  truth 
is  his  best  praise.  All  cannot  be  told.  Even  those  who 
year  after  year  have  worked  under  him,  and  with  him,  feel 
that  there  is  much  that  will  not  allow  itself  to  be  put  into 
words.  An  untiring  student,  a  great  teacher,  a  consecrated 
Christian,  a  faithful  friend  —  the  finest  meaning  of  all  these 
words  can  only  be  hinted  at.  There  is  something  sanctify- 
ing about  a  life  and  death  like  this.  Years  of  service  such 
as  fall  to  the  lot  of  few  men  was  his  and  they  have  been 
crowned  by  reward  such  as  few  men  have  earned. 

Dr.  Hanson  made  for  himself  an  honorable  place  in  the 
educational  history  of  Maine.  Larger  money  returns  were 
offered  him  elsewhere.  Not  once  or  twice  but  many  times 
positions  of  influence  coveted  his  gifts.  He  had  given  Maine 
his  head  and  his  heart,  and  for  half  a  century  the  best  he 
could  do  and  be  was  freely  given  in  her  service.  The  work 
by  which  he  is  best  known  was  that  of  the  principalship  of 
Waterville  Academy,  now  Coburn  Classical  Institute.  Ro- 
mance and  pathos  mingle  in  the  history  of  that  work.  Poor 
in  all  but  its  teachers,  the  institution  struggled  through  years 
of  patient,  persistent,  hopeful  toil.  Morning  as  well  as  mid- 
night oil  was  burned  by  its  principal.  For  years  the  only 
limit  placed  upon  working  hours  was  the  limit  compelled  by 
physical  limitation.  Fifteen,  eighteen,  twenty  hours  out  of 
twenty-four  was  the  proportion  of  working  time  for  those 
years.  Only  a  giant  could  stand  such  a  strain.  Dr.  Han- 
son was  not  over  great  physically,  but  he  was  a  giant  inside. 


l8  JAMES    HOBBS   HANSON,  LL.  D. 

He  Stood  the  strain.  The  dark  days  gave  way  to  brighter. 
Money  came  making  the  problem  of  school  support  simpler. 
The  faculty  was  enlarged.  Some  burdens  were  lifted.  But 
to  the  end  Dr.  Hanson  held  on  working  more  hours  than 
most  younger  men  would  have  found  possible,  meeting  his 
classes  in  his  own  study  when  too  weak  to  meet  them  in  the 
classroom,  in  his  chamber  when  too  weak  for  that.  He 
wanted  to  die  in  the  harness.  There  is  something  striking 
in  the  literalness  with  which  his  wish  was  granted.  In  the 
schoolroom  Monday,  called  home  Friday,  only  three  days 
separated  discharge  of  office  and  departure.  It  is  a  wonder- 
ful record.  Small  wonder  that  the  Institute  has  been  popu- 
larly known  as  Dr.  Hanson's  school ! 

In  some  sense  the  product  of  that  work  is  greater  than  it 
would  have  been  if  less  concentrated  locally.  The  worker 
was  known  and  loved.  It  was  beautiful  to  see  the  respect 
with  which  he  was  always  greeted  in  educational  circles. 
Twice  at  least  within  two  years  the  greeting  was  an  ovation. 
Taking  a  half-century  together,  no  other  man  has  wrought 
so  great  influence  in  the  educational  affairs  of  the  state. 
Others  came  and  went.  Dr.  Hanson  remained,  the  very 
length  of  service  presently  becoming  a  potent  factor.  His 
pupils  are  numbered  by  thousands.  With  the  possible  excep- 
tion of  Dr.  Torsey  at  Kent's  Hill,  no  man  in  the  state  has 
touched  so  many  lives  in  the  fellowship  of  school  work  as 
he.  A  sense  of  personal  loss  is  awakened  in  those  thous- 
ands at  the  announcement  of  his  death. 

Beyond  the  circle  of  pupils  is  another  of  students  of  his 
books.  He  was  the  teacher  of  many  who  never  saw  him. 
The  feeling  of  these  is  well  illustrated  by  a  man,  now  a 
specialist  in  philosophy,  who  came  to  Waterville  a  year  and 
a  half  ago.  He  had  an  appointment  at  a  certain  hour.  He 
explained  his  arrival  by  a  train  earlier  than  the  one  on  which 
he  was  expected  by  his  desire  to  see  the  place  where  Dr. 
Hanson  taught.     He  had  taken  advantage  of  that  hour  to 


«     ■ 

I 


A    MEMORIAL. 


19 


walk  about  the  Institute,  glad  to  see  even  the  building  in 
which  the  master  had  wrought  so  well.  When  later  he  met 
Dr.  Hanson  in  personal  interview,  his  manner  was  that  of 
one  who  consulted  an  oracle.  It  was  living  contact  with  one 
who  had  been  his  teacher  in  books. 

It  is  fitting  that  Colby  should  send  sorrowful  greeting  at 
this  time.  For  twenty-five  years  the  Institute  under  Dr. 
Hanson  furnished  the  college  with  half  its  students.  At  the 
present  time  it  furnishes  from  a  quarter  to  a  third.  But  it 
was  with  something  better  than  numbers  that  Dr.  Hanson 
served  the  college.  His  pupils  came  well-fitted.  His  intol- 
erance of  intellectual  shams  and  shabbiness  demanded 
thoroughness  in  student  work.  At  times  the  Institute  type 
has  been  a  clearly  marked  element  in  college  life.  He 
believed  in  the  system  wisely  developed  in  recent  years,  which 
has  given  a  strong  central  institution  resting  upon  a  founda- 
tion of  its  own  fitting  schools.  He  stood  close  to  the  college 
faculty  and  was  a  constant  inspiration  to  them.  One  has 
only  to  recount  the  names  and  deeds  of  the  great  teachers 
in  the  college  for  half  a  century,  to  feel  that  Dr.  Hanson 
belongs  with  them,  whatever  the  name  and  sphere  of  his 
teaching.  For  fifty  years  he  has  stood  for  what  is  best  in 
education,  for  sound  scholarship,  for  spiritual  integrity,  for 
manliness.  What  he  himself  was  he  sought  to  make  others. 
He  wrought  faithfully  and  God  has  called  him  into  rest. 


ADDRESS 

BY 

REV.  G.   D.  B.  PEPPER,  D.  D. 

I  am  asked  to  speak  as  a  friend  of  Dr.  Hanson,  simply  as 
a  friend.  The  others  who  address  you  to-day  are  also  and 
equally  his  friends,  but  they  represent  special  interests  as 
related  to  him,  the  church,  the  Institute,  the  College.  It  is 
fitting  that  on  this  occasion  friendship,  sole  and  simple, 
should  have  a  voice  and  be  heard.  For,  my  friends,  while 
Dr.  Hanson  was  an  eminent  educator  and  a  clear,  strong, 
steady  light  in  the  church,  he  was  also  always,  everywhere, 
in  all  things  and  toward  everybody  not  only  friendly,  but 
friendship  itself.  This  friendship  which  he  was,  gave  tone 
to  everything  that  he  did,  created  an  atmosphere  about  him 
which  it  was  good  to  breathe. 

This  spirit  characterized  preeminently  his  teaching  and  all 
his  work  as  instructor  and  educator.  For  the  time  being 
this  did  not  always  seem  to  his  pupils  quite  clear.  He  was 
exact  and  exacting,  exacted  exactness  in  them.  He  had  a 
sharp  eye,  a  microscopic  precision  of  vision.  He  saw,  they 
must  see.  He  must  make  them  see.  That  was  his  business. 
Their  business  was  to  try  to  see.  He  was  faithful,  laborious, 
painstaking.  They  ought  to  be ;  they  must  be.  Was  a  boy 
lazy,  careless,  blundering,  needlessly  blundering  }  He  must 
be  spurred.  Possibly  there  was  a  lightning  flash  and  a  thun- 
der crash  at  the  time,  that  did  not  feel  like  friendship.  It 
made  the  boy  growl.  The  rest  perhaps  joined  in  the  growl  for 
the  time.  But  every  class  that  ever  came  under  Dr.  Hanson 
knew  that  no  truer  friend  could  be  found  even  to  the  lazy  and 
bad  boy,  than  just  that  same*  severe  teacher.  Out  of  school, 
in  school,  days,  nights,  sick  or  well,  he  would  work  for  them  ; 


A    MEMORIAL.  21 

take  separately  those  needing  it  and  help  them  on  ;  use  him- 
self up  for  them.  His  friendship  for  them  was  individual, 
personal.  He  carried  them  one  by  one  in  his  heart.  Like 
the  Good  Shepherd  he  called  his  flock  by  name.  I  say  the 
classes  were  all  taught  and  dealt  with  in  this  unselfish  spirit 
of  friendship  and  in  their  hearts  knew  it,  even  while  under 
instruction  and  subjected  to  discipline  not  always  and  in  all 
respects  welcome.  But  after  they  had  gone  from  the  school, 
and  as  the  years  passed  by  and  memory  kept  the  school  life 
before  them,  the  grateful  sense  of  the  teacher's  wise  and  self- 
sacrificing  friendship  grew  ever  deeper  and  deeper.  There 
are  hundreds,  thousands  of  men  and  women  all  over  this 
world  who,  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Hanson  did  or 
will,  recall  their  student  years  with  him  and  feel  that  even 
more  than  for  his  superb  instruction  are  they  indebted  to 
him  for  his  sincere  friendship  and  its  constant,  unobtrusive, 
efficient  expression.  It  is  their  custom  to  think  and  speak 
of  him  with  pride  as  their  teacher,  but  yet  with  more  of 
humble,  thankful  pride  as  their  friend.  Who  of  us  has  not 
heard  them  thus  speak,  sometimes  decades  of  years  after 
their  graduation  ?  Would  that  some  one  of  their  number 
were  standing  here  now,  to  bear  this  testimony  for  himself 
and  the  rest  out  of  a  full  heart. 

Was  he  a  friend  to  his  pupils .-'  Not  less  truly  also  to 
others.  We  know  how  he  loved  this  church,  how  he  worked 
with  it  and  for  it,  gave  for  it  and  to  it.  It  was  on  his  heart, 
in  his  heart,  nay,  not  only  was  but  is.  Be  sure  that  he  has 
taken  it  with  him.  He  could  not  have  gone  without  it.  But 
to  him  the  church  was  not  a  mere  organization,  impersonal, 
a  machine.  It  was  its  members,  was  and  is,  we,  the  brethren 
and  sisters  in  the  Lord,  loved  and  beloved.  To  see  us,  hear 
us,  meet  with  us,  work  with  us,  think  of  us,  was  to  him  a 
joy.  He  did  not  say  much  about  it,  made  no  parade  of  his 
love.  To  do  that  was  not  in  him.  Besides  it  was  needless. 
He  was  what  he  seemed  and  seemed  what  he  was.     His  eye. 


22  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.  D. 

his  countenance,  his  bearing,  his  presence,  his  whole  person- 
ality as  year  by  year  we  witnessed  and  lived  under  its  influ- 
ence, these  were  the  sufficient  evidence  of  his  friendly  care 
for  his  immediate  associates.  It  was  not  that  he  did  not  see 
in  us  defects,  that  he  did  not  discriminate  accurately  between 
man  and  man,  and  weigh  us  in  truthful  balances.  But  in 
church  as  in  school,  no  evil  in  another  awakened  malice  in 
him.  He  was  the  friend  of  us  all.  We  knew  it.  It  made 
us  all  friends  to  him. 

I  said  that  Dr.  Hanson  was  friendship  itself.  Being  this, 
he  could  not  limit  his  friendly  cares  to  persons  in  whom  he 
was  specially  interested  through  professional  relationship. 
He  was  the  friend  of  all.  All  who  knew  him  felt  this  and 
gave  back  to  him  in  some  degree  a  friendly  regard  and 
response.  He  was  against  that  which  harmed  the  people, 
was  ready  by  word  and  deed  and  money  to  fight  it.  Ab- 
sorbed mainly  in  school  life  and  church  work,  he  yet  had 
an  open  eye  on  men,  events  and  interests  outside,  in  the 
city,  the  state,  the  nation  and  the  world.  He  gave  himself 
chiefly  to  his  own  work,  knowing  that  thus  he  could  do 
most  for  all  other  right  and  righteous  work.  But  I  re- 
member well  how  zealous  and  whole-hearted  he  was  some 
years  ago  in  aiding  an  attempt  to  choke  the  rum  dragon  in 
this  city.  His  love  of  the  people  was  hatred  of  that  which 
harmed  them. 

We  all  who  are  here  to-day  are  here  as  friends  of  Dr.  Han- 
son. The  inmost  circle  is  his  own  family  ;  around  them, 
and  also  with  them  his  pupils,  thousands,  widely  scattered, 
but  all  here  at  this  hour  ;  his  brethren  and  sisters  in  Christ, 
of  this  church,  of  all  churches,  of  the  church  universal ;  his 
fellow  citizens  of  this  city,  and  the  multitude  elsewhere  who 
have  known  him  and  known  of  him,  all  are  in  spirit  here  as 
friends.  If  anywhere  ihere  is  an  unfriendly  spirit,  it  must 
be  an  unfriendliness  not  toward  the  real,  but  toward  an  imag- 
ined Dr.  Hanson, 


A    MEMORIAL.  23 

Was  that  which  has  given  him  this  place  in  so  many  hearts 
simply  his  friendship  ?  This  and  its  natural  expression  no 
doubt  immediately.  Love  is  the  only  magnet  which  will 
attract  and  hold  love.  Heart  draws  to  itself  hearts.  But 
the  stream  of  love  which  is  purest,  sweetest  and  eternal  has 
its  spring  in  the  rock  of  right  and  righteous  character.  And 
so,  too,  the  man,  who  for  scores  of  years  awakens  in  those 
who  know,  and  most  in  those  who  best  know  him,  true  friend- 
ship, must  have  something  besides  mere  genial  good  nature. 
He  must  have  the  solid  rock  of  character,  virtues  which  com- 
bine in  the  strength  and  beauty  of  true  manliness. 

Dr.  Hanson  was  a  man  of  truth.  With  him  to  know  the 
truth  was  almost  a  passion.  To  his  eyes  truth  had  a  beauty 
all  its  own.  He  loved  it  for  its  own  sake,  as  also  for  its  uses. 
Loving  it,  he  pursued  it  ;  pursuing  it,  he  found  it.  It  was 
not  enough  to  be  about  right;  he  must  be  just  right.  He 
could  not  be  content  in  the  fog  or  the  twilight.  There  must 
be  sunlight ;  this  even  in  ordinary  matters  ;  this  strikingly 
in  his  classroom  studies  ;  this  supremely  in  spiritual  things. 

Loving  the  truth  so  as  to  pursue  or  find  it,  he  was  truth- 

Jul  also  in  expression,  veracious,  trustworthy  in  speaking,  in 

writing,  in  acting,  in  all  conduct ;  no  shifting  sand  in  him, 

no  double  dealing,  no  fair  words  covering  foul  purpose,  no 

exaggeration  to  win  applause. 

He  was  a  just,  a  righteous  man.  He  would  not  take  or 
keep  from  any  man  that  which  was  his  due  —  never  know- 
ingly. Labor,  money,  whatsoever  was  yours,  he  would  leave 
to  you.     He  coveted  no  man's  silver  or  gold  or  apparel. 

He  was  as  benevolent  as  he  was  fair  and  honest.  He  could 
say  truthfully  to  men  "I  seek  not  yours,  but  you."  He 
could  even  say  "  I  seek  not  even  mine  own  save  that  I  may 
best  serve  others."  His  benevolence  was  not  that  of  impulse, 
a  natural  generosity,  but  of  principle — to  make  of  himself 
the  best  possible  and  the  most  of  the  best  for  God  and  his 
fellowmen. 


24  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.  D. 

In  all  his  thoughts  was  God  as  the  supreme  law  of  his 
life.  His  tireless,  persistent,  heroic  devotion  to  his  work,  in 
strength  and  not  less  in  weakness  and  pain  clear  up  to  the 
end,  was  not  mere  natural  Roman  heroism  —  it  was  that  and 
more  and  better  —  devotion  to  the  will  of  God.  He  never 
thought  that  he  was  doing  more  than  his  duty,  and  this  duty 
was  not  by  compulsion,  subjection  to  a  will  over  him,  but  the 
free,  glad  realization  of  the  will  of  God  ruling  within  him. 
This  gave  him  the  inward  peace  that  made  serene  and  beau- 
tiful his  face,  the  uncomplaining  patience  in  weakness,  pain 
and  toil  that  were  to  us  all  so  attractive  in  his  last  days. 

Whoever  knew  Dr.  Hanson  respected  him,  not  alone  for 
his  intellectual  ability  and  attainments,  but  for  his  moral  and 
spiritual  worth  and  work.  We  honor  him  as  a  man  of  honor. 
We  love  him  for  that  loveliness  whose  root  was  Christian 
principle,  whose  foundation  was  solid  character  and  whose 
radiance  is  that  of  the  fixed  stars  which  shine  forever  and 
ever  in  the  firmament  of  our  God. 


MEMORIAL  TRIBUTES. 


TRIBUTE  OF  THE  TRUSTEES. 

[Rev.  C.  V.  Hanson,  D.  D.,  for  the  committee  appointed  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing to  prepare  a  minute  in  reference  to  James  Houbs  Hanson,  ll.  d.,  pre- 
sented the  following  which  was  unanimously  adopted.] 

James  Hobbs  Hanson,  ll.  d.,  fell  asleep  on  April  21,  last, 
after  an  absence  of  only  five  days  from  the  school  and  the 
tasks  which  had  long  been  his  joy  and  delight.  Though  in 
feeble  health  in  recent  years,  he  had  held  himself  to  a  strict 
performance  of  the  duties  which  had  engaged  him  so  earn- 
estly for  more  than  half  a  century.  A  graduate  of  the  class 
of  1842,  he  entered  at  once  upon  the  work  of  teaching  in 
which  he  achieved  a  national  reputation.  Forty  of  the  fifty- 
one  years  of  his  professional  life  were  spent  in  two  periods 
of  service  as  the  principal  of  Waterville  Academy  and  the 
Coburn  Classical  Institute.  These  years  were  eventful  both 
to  himself  and  the  College.  Eager  students  gathered  around 
him.  They  felt  the  influence  of  his  patient,  persistent, 
honest  work,  and  recognized  in  him  a  master  indeed.  The 
years  broadened  his  acquirements,  and  enlarged  his  experi- 
ence, and  so  enriched  the  life  and  work  of  the  school.  The 
College  became  largely  dependent  upon  him  for  its  supply  of 
students,  and  found  in  the  school  of  which  he  had  charge  its 
most  important  feeder ;  indeed  for  some  years  it  might  be 
truthfully  said  that  he  was  the  College.  He  gave  men,  when 
men  were  the  only  gifts  that  the  College  could  number.  In 
the  darkest  days  of  its  history  Colby  turned  to  him  more 
than  to  any  other  source  for  the  material  which  would  war- 
rant the  continuance  of  its  work.  For  quite  a  period  tribu- 
tary and  stream  were  nearly  identical. 

He  became  a  trustee  in  1862,  and  served  until  death  released 
him  from  the  duties  which  had  been  cheerfully  and  faithfully 
performed  and  which  had  brought  a  large  measure  of  good 


28  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.  D. 

to  his  Alma  Mater.  He  was  constant  in  his  attendance  upon 
the  meetings  of  the  Board  and  was  a  faithful  custodian  of 
the  trust  which  had  been  committed  to  him.  The  weight  of 
his  character  and  the  extent  of  his  acquirements  made  him 
for  a  long  period  the  most  eminent  as  well  as  the  most 
widely  known  teacher  in  the  preparatory  schools  of  the  state. 
His  text  books  in  Latin  prose  and  poetry  evinced  scholarship 
of  the  highest  order  and  made  him  an  authority  in  the  best 
fitting  schools  of  the  land.  His  genius  for  work  was  amaz- 
ing and  his  endurance  in  the  performance  of  that  work  was 
well  nigh  marvelous.  By  his  death  the  College  loses  one  of 
its  most  distinguished  sons,  and  the  Board  one  of  its  most 
honored  members. 


TRIBUTE  OF  THE  ALUMNI. 

[Prepared  by  Rev.  C.  V.  Hanson,  D.  D.,  necrologist  of  the  Alumni  Associa- 
tion of  Colby  University,  and  presented  at  the  meeting  of  the  Association, 
June  26,  1894.] 

James  Hobbs  Hanson,  ll.  d.  This  distinguished  educator 
died  in  Waterville,  Me.,  of  Bright's  disease  of  the  kidneys, 
April  21,  1894,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  He  was 
the  son  of  James  and  Deborah  (Clarke)  Hanson,  and  was 
born  in  China,  Me.,  June  26,  18 16.  He  was  fitted  for  col- 
lege in  the  common  schools  and  well-known  academy  in  his 
native  town.  After  his  graduation  from  the  academy  he 
spent  a  few  years  as  a  teacher.  In  1838,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  he  entered  college  and  was  graduated  the  second 
in  his  class  in  scholarship.  The  traits  which  characterized 
him  in  later  years  as  a  teacher,  were  conspicuous  in  his  col- 
lege life  and  work.  He  was  thorough,  painstaking  and  honest 
in  all  he  did.  Straitened  circumstances  enforced  great  fru- 
gality. He  came  to  his  life  work  at  graduation  mature  in 
years  and  experience,  and  thoroughly  equipped  for  that 
laborious  career  which  has  given  enduring  fame  to  his  work 
and  name.  He  remained  at  home  after  graduation  for  a  short 
time,  and  in  1843  became  principal  of  Waterville  Academy, 
now  Coburn  Classical  Institute,  and  remained  in  this  posi- 
tion in  two  periods  of  service  for  forty  years. 

In  1854  he  became  principal  of  the  High  School  in  East- 
port,  and  remained  there  three  years.  In  1857  he  became 
principal  of  the  Boys'  High  School  in  Portland,  and  did 
faithful  service  in  that  important  school  for  six  years.  He 
taught  a  successful  private  school  in  Portland  for  two  years, 
and  in  1865,  at  the  urgent  request  of  the  trustees  of  Colby 
University,  returned  to  the  headship  of  the  Academy  in 
Waterville,  which   he  retained  until   death  brought    release 


30  JAMES    HOBBS    HANSON,  LL.   D. 

from  his  long  and  self-denying  work.  While  in  Portland,  in 
1861,  he  published  his  Preparatory  Latin  Prose  Book,  which 
soon  found  a  place  in  the  leading  fitting  schools  in  the  land. 
Four  years  later  came  his  Handbook  of  Latin  Poetry,  which 
added  to  his  reputation  as  a  classical  scholar.  But  his  name 
and  fame  are  indissolubly  linked  with  Coburn  Classical  Insti- 
tute. He  became  its  head  when  only  five  pupils  gathered 
around  him.  He  left  it  housed  in  one  of  the  best  buildings  in 
the  state,  and  with  an  enviable  reputation  among  the  prepara- 
tory schools  in  New  England. 

The  endowment  received  from  Governor  Abner  Coburn,  in 
1874,  was  secured  largely  through  his  influence.  The  Col- 
lege for  many  years  was  indebted  to  him  for  the  most  of  the 
students  within  its  halls.  Others  gave  money,  he  gave  men. 
No  one  ever  did  more  for  Colby  than  he.  He  became  a 
trustee  in  1862  and  remained  in  office  until  his  death.  The 
College  in  recognition  of  his  eminent  services  and  high  scholar- 
ship, conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  ll.  d.  in  1872.  And 
so  College  and  Institute  shared  in  his  wise  and  faithful 
labors.  Many  years  must  elapse  before  any  one  can  arise 
who  shall  rival  the  measure  of  good  which  Dr.  Hanson 
wrought  out  so  patiently  through  the  years  for  his  Alma 
Mater.  The  College  never  had  a  more  loyal  son.  Her  inter- 
ests were  dearer  to  him  than  his  own.  He  returned  to  his 
position  in  Waterville  in  1865,  when  the  College  was  in  the 
greatest  crisis  in  its  history.  Men  and  means  were  wanting. 
Dr.  Hanson  supplied  the  first,  Gardner  Colby,  Abner  Coburn, 
and  others  the  second.  The  return  of  Dr.  Hanson  and  the 
gifts  of  these  generous  patrons,  make  a  coincidence  which 
should  not  be  overlooked  by  those  who  seek  the  causes  of 
the  present  prosperity  of  the  College. 

The  unwearied  devotion  of  Dr.  Hanson  to  his  beloved 
school,  did  not,  however,  narrow  him  in  his  social  and  civic 
relations.  He  was  a  man  among  men,  kindly  and  helpful 
ever.     He  was  the  good  citizen,  and  recognized  his  obliga- 


A    MEMORIAL.  3 1 

tions  to  his  town  and  state.  He  was  also  a  man  of  high 
Christian  character,  and  sought  to  make  the  school  religious 
in  its  spirit  and  aim.  And  when  the  end  came  he  calmly 
fell  asleep  in  the  faith  which  he  had  so  long  professed.  Dr. 
Hanson  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Board- 
man  Marston,  to  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  1845. 
She  died  in  1853.  He  was  next  married  to  Mary  E.  Field, 
of  Sidney,  Sept.  16,  1854.  There  were  three  children  by 
this  marriage.  The  oldest,  Florence  P.,  died  in  Portland,  at 
the  early  age  of  nineteen  months.  The  second,  Mrs.  Sophia 
May  Pierce,  resides  in  Waterville,  and  was  graduated  from 
Colby  in  1881.  The  third,  Frank  Herbert  Hanson,  princi- 
pal of  the  Washington  School,  Newark,  N.  J.,  was  graduated 
from  Colby  in  1883.  His  widow,  who  survives  him,  was  for 
many  years  the  principal  of  the  primary  department  in  the 
Institute. 


THE  TEACHER. 


BY  ALICE   L.   COLE. 


For  more  than  half  a  century  he  wrought 

With  reverent  hands,  and  then  his  Master  said 

"  Too  long,  O  faithful  servant,  is  delayed 

Thy  well  earned  rest."     Year  after  year  he  taught, 

To  youthful  generations,  lessons  fraught 

With  knowledge  that  is  wisdom,  undismayed. 

While  others  slept,  he  toiled  and  watched  and  prayed. 

O  Teacher !  thou  from  whom  we  never  sought 

A  meaning  but  to  find  it,  now,  in  vain 

Do  we,  thy  pupils,  silently  beseech 

Those  lips,  from  which  we  long  to  hear  again 

The  dear  familiar  cadence  of  thy  speech, 

To  solve  this  mystery  —  to  render  plain 

The  lesson  Death  has  placed  within  thy  reach. 

—  Waterville  Mail. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

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Series  9482 


